


Drop the Gauntlet

by SugaSugar



Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - AFO Is Known, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Alternate Universe - Rengoku Lives, Alternate Universe: Trevor Saves Lisa, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Gift Giving, Grandpa For One, Idiots in Love, In Reference To Being Forced Into A Child Version of His Own Body For Izuku, In Unique Ways, Life Debt, Misgendering, Multi, Nighteye's name here is Osamu, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Panic Attacks, Profiler AU, Responsible Adult Sir Nighteye, Rivals to Lovers, Scenting, Secret Identity, Secret Identity Fail, Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Hisashi, Time Travel, Trans Character, Trans Woman Giyuu, attempted witch burning, but not for long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:48:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21883282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugaSugar/pseuds/SugaSugar
Summary: [Suga's attempt to get back into writing after a terrible fairly awful just all around horrendous year. Starring friends!]BNHA:"Sir you can't really believe Midoriya is the Profiler." Mirio's head shakes a slightly desperate denial. "He would have been so young! Middle-school young!" | "So? Was the price for Izuku's dream quirk too high for you?" | All For One is cradling his injured body ever so gently. Looking up with wide (terrorized) eyes, Izuku meets the gaze of the man who claims to be this body's father. | This wasn't his. World. Time? His place, certainly, no matter how much he looked and decided he wanted e v e r y t h i n g . | Putting a choke hold on Shimura Tenko's life was never about baiting All Might.Not really.Castlevania:But Trevor could never let someone die for the crime of being too knowledgeable. Not again. Not byfire.KNY:They wouldn’t choose Giyuu as family. Even if they wanted to, he couldn’t let them. | "There are five options for her here. She chooses Rengoku, She chooses Sanemi, she chooses Both of you, she chooses Neither one of you, or she runs off with Iguro."
Relationships: Kamado Nezuko & Kamado Tanjirou & Tomioka Giyuu & Urokodaki Sakonji, Midoriya Izuku & Sensei | All For One, Midoriya Izuku & Toogata Mirio, Rengoku Kyoujurou/Shinazugawa Sanemi/Tomioka Giyuu, Sasaki Mirai | Sir Nighteye & Toogata Mirio
Comments: 45
Kudos: 413





	1. Profiler Operation E

**Author's Note:**

> HEYOOOOOOOO My gosh have I really got so many people subscribed to me? I haven't written anything by myself in- uh. A longgggggggg time. Anyway! Welcome to my new work.
> 
> As I said in the summary, this is going to [hopefully] be a series of bits and bob drabbles. Mostly as requested by my friends, but ALLLLLL of them are discussed on our super special friend only discord. No invites are distributed to outsiders, but hopefully this will uh, give some insight to the ideas I've Accidentally kept in a closed hand. Not all of them. I have like. 500. But whose counting! Certainly not me.
> 
> NONE of the drabbles here will be COMPLETE but hopefully will feel like a chapter rather than a fragment. This is merely exercise for me, not the marathon. So please enjoy some of my ideas, and with this I will hopefully become confident enough to write more of the fics some of y'all probably subscribed for!
> 
> Index~  
> Story One: Profiler Operation E (Nighteye Finds Out) [TW: Panic Attack briefly depicted.] | Perhaps better understood if you've read PO C first, but not necessarily.  
> Story Two: Takeo Takudo is a minion of All For One, and has other reasons he decided to infiltrate UA only to bring back a scoop no bigger than Yagi eating some Nikuman to those he'd persuaded to get him in.  
> Story Three: Izuku Reincarnation/Body-Hopped-By-Outside-Intervention is stuck in a world where AFO is seen as a foundational Hero. Oh, and now AFO is his biological father. He doesn't take this well at all. [TW: References to Body Dysphoria, Death Mention, and Nightmares]  
> Story Four: Child!AFO meets Canon!Izuku. That's it that's the concep-  
> Story Five: Trevor, sick as a Dog, takes Lisa Tepes place on the burning stake for the sin of being a Belmont. Things change.  
> Story Six: Izuku stumbles his way between Nana Shimura and All For One. Who decides to defend him will shock you [Not Clickbait]  
> Story Seven: Not-Your-Average-ABO for KNY. Found Family focus on Giyuu as an Omega.  
> Story Eight: Giyuu is a Trans Woman. Semi-fix it feel good fic. [TW: Unintentional Misgendering by the Pillars at the beginning.]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ I mean, Profiler stuff, if I had to pick? - Vic | p r o f i l e r - Allula | suga i think the consensus is ANY profiler followed closely by ANY suga - Mars | I vote nighteye profiler thing we talked about that other day - Mousie]
> 
> This Story is provided by My Friends supporting me an my dozens of Profile AU ideas fuckk

Story One

Izuku liked to think his notebooks were nothing of note to others. Outside when Kacchan would pull them from his hands and set them alight, no one seem so to even want a glance at his hard work. When they knew it was his at least...

Profiling was a harmless hobby as long as he stuck to the rules laid out by a sleep deprived middle schooler who had spent an entire Summer Break researching the laws and bylaws of information gathering in this Hero driven world.

One. Only make a profile about villains who have broken the law before without getting caught. He knew deep in his bones that Heroes were Human and that surely a few had gone dark without switching from the public favor... But there were surely secret departments in the government for drawing that information out. And as a child still learning the world, to take a Hero and try to smirch their reputation like that... It was too much power.

Two. Never sign his name. The desire for credit was squashed under the ghostly heel of the past experience he'd had trying to share his journals with anyone. Mom, bless her weak heart, had taken one look and cried. The rest scoffed and said he must have taken it from a hero analysis website. Which he would never, not only because the ones allowed to remain up were full of holes, but because this was his hobby! He created this! And without his name, people might believe the analysis. Even a little.

Three. Always do assigned homework first (which mostly led to him completing it in class). If his grades dropped any lower than they had from the regular days of sore arms unable to take notes (for those were the easy places for Kacchan to grab in his temper) he would never get to a good school. So he worked hard. He learned everything in the long hours of school all by himself, determined to have free time to learn even more about the villains that needed stopped.

Four. Format it in such a way it would never, ever be connection to quirkless middle-schooler Izuku's life- and after, One For All High-school Izuku's life. Which meant going to his mom's desktop that was connected to her business computer when she wasn't home and reading the jargon of legalities for hours until the formatting ran behind his eyelids as he slept. These profiles were laid out not unlike medical reports Inko would look over at the local hospital.

And then... And then, All Might happened.

"You can be a Hero!"

Anyone less stubborn than Izuku would have taken those words right there and cast his hobby into the abyss. A Hero! A quirk for him, fostered by his favorite hero and so many generations before! There was no need to worry about every villain running around while he was training physically to get into Hero school and working even harder to get his grades up to snuff. Right?

Wrong.

He studied weeks ahead for all his classes, freeing up those 8 precious hours to watch several live newsfeeds of villain attacks on his phone and scribble his findings in his notebook. The teachers ability to ignore anything involving Izuku works is his favor this time, and Kacchan doesn't notice anything amiss in his own need to get better scores than that Deku.

The Profiler gains notoriety slowly. The first time he hears that name, it doesn't connect. But it's said again and again over villain attacks that he sent in strategy for. Zapnap, Crowler, The Vibrato, Geyser, Fleetfoot- the list grows and grows and Izuku barely has time at the asscrack of dawn to muffle his wail into a pillow. Can't wake up mom, after all. But he doesn't stop sending them in either.

The hero community murmurs where civilians- and thus Izuku- can't hear about this Profiler. There are several suspects, some crossed off easier than others. Villains who look on the brink of swaying from one side of the law to the other. A Doctor fulfilling a childhood wish of saving people another way. Nedzu pulling a prank of his own devices to screw with them all. A Hero course student too worried about being reassigned to the Business department at one of the few Hero Schools near that area- which included of course UA itself.

Izuku has been having just terrible allergies recently. Sneezing every other minute some days! The pollen count says there's nothing he's allergic to in the air though...

He gets into UA by the bruised skin and broken bones of his own body. The extra hours training stops. He has leisure time now that he watches the evening news in and types up more profiles. There's no chance any of UA's teachers will ignore him having his phone out. Even if his class ranking is 4th in the class, and 9th in the First Year courses...

Life goes wildly off course. USJ, Sports Festival, talking to Todoroki and having to hold back because Rule One Says, Stain, Summer Camp, Kidnapping, All Might losing One For All, Hero License Exam-

And then there's his Internship with Sir Nighteye.

* * *

"Your previous work placement was with Gran Torino." Nighteye says it without giving Izuku a second glance. Fidgeting crooked fingers, he nods anyway. A sigh quietly leaves Sir's nose. "As impressive as Torino is in combat, he would never thing to teach the finer points of paperwork and accessing the Hero Network. Unless you are already familiar..."

"I have some experience with formal paperwork due to my mother's job and a police gag order after the Stain incident. Though I've never heard of a Hero Network?" Izuku admits with quiet curiosity.

"Gag order..." Sir Nighteye's hands fold together. "Hmm. The basic overview is that the best kept secret of the Hero sector is the Hero Network. A private version of the Internet that can only be accessed with a Hero License, provisional or full both being acceptable. Common uses are to request backup, scout potential partnerships for a case that will need other types of quirks to be successful, and for documenting mission reports that are not public access but can be reviewed by other heroes to share information about villains who may have escaped confinement. Other countries may have their own version but our licenses would not work with them without filing excessive request forms even for the few cases that are worth it."

Letting out a shaky breath, Izukus eyes glittered at this new information. A private internet for Heroes? Imagine all that was one there! No wonder it was kept such a secret- if you could access it with a provisional license, then villains could have immense motivation to send their children or even infiltrate the test themselves to get an entry point into the vast archive.

Deep desire cloyed the back of his tongue. All that important information reporters and shaky news footage just couldn't capture. And Sir was saying that with his license he could access it? His analysis could-

No. No, not yet at least. He would have the restraint to wait until after he was taught proper protocol for it. That was one thing Iida and Todoroki had reaffirmed for him on back at the hospital after the Stain attack and it had all come spilling out. He'd never meant to keep the fact he compiled information on villains such a tense secret from his few friends after all.

* * *

"Anonymous information about the villains, huh." Todoroki hummed as he leaned back into the hospital pillows. "I suppose my father did mention something like that once or twice. He sounded angry however so I stayed out of his way."

"It's a very chivalrous way of being an unofficial hero, but you are doing this legally right Midoriya?" Iida interjected, free arm chopping rapidly through the air. "Surely you don't want to further jeopardize your chance of becoming a Hero!"

"I spent all of a two week break researching the civilian law surrounding it before I sent my first one in." Izuku admits, a little fuzzy since a nurse had come by with a dose of painkiller. "'S not illegal to provide an anonymous tip about an already wanted villain. There are plenty of reasons why that law was there even before quirks, and that hasn't changed."

"Midoriya... We're not quite civilians anymore." Izuku felt himself wilt at the truth in what Iida said. They were at an odd point of the law- not Civilian anymore, but not full fledged Hero. Or even completely fledglings without a provisional license. The law could take whatever side would punish or reward them as it saw fit... Which made what that dog officer said somewhat full of holes. But still.

"Then what do I do? If I just stop sending the tips in regularly, they may get too curious about my identity. And since I kept sending them in after I started UA..." Iida's face crumpled. Todoroki tilted his head to the side, humming a brief acknowledgement.

"There's probably Hero law for it somewhere in the second year classes. Until you learn it, you can claim ignorance as a civilian as long as you use your regular methods. But you can't use anything from an exclusive to Hero source. Probably." Iida's face lit up at that.

"Yes! Especially since you were raised in a civilian household, there's no way you could have known about the law as it is only taught in Heroic or Law School level classes! And seeing as UA doesn't start those until second year you should be okay."

* * *

And that was that.

"Centipeder will show you how to use your access as well as guide you through the process of filing through past reports for information. Once you prove competent at this I will allow you out on patrol with a member of the agency." Sir glanced up to finally look Izuku in the eye. "Research is just as crucial as combat is for this field. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir." More than Sir could know.

Hero Network was somewhat like a VPN in practice. Izuku could even access it at his home computer provided he had installed the set browser and entered his identification and it closely guarded his connection to the servers. It was simply put magnificent to see. Except...

"Sir would like to see you compile information on three heroes you believe to be worth a second look." Centipeder was probably referring to in conjunction with Izuku's quirk but that kind of got lost in the excited jitter taking over Izuku's brain as the computer welcomed him to HN. "Please leave your neatly gathered information on his desk. If you have time afterwards, you should familiarize yourself with the filling system two doors down the hall. Here is the key, give it back to myself or Sir before you leave."

Centipeder wanders off to do other important hero work. Izuku is left along with the Hero Network, an analytic mind, and a keen eye for crime. He can't be blamed for scrolling through the most recent reports and finding all the signs of three corrupt Heroes along the way.

He should resist. This was exclusive hero information after all. But. But! He was just turning these in as Izuku to Sir Nighteye as proof he could use the Hero Network efficiently. The reports would be hand written. All he had to do was sign his name and use rushed handwriting to obscure the format he couldn't just get rid of when making a Profile. Nighteye would never think his newest intern was The Profiler and get him in trouble... Especially if the report was about Pro Heroes instead of Villains!

With all these excuses holding back the rules of his own making, Izuku got to work. A couple years practice had his work all done an hour early. Letting out a satisfied sigh, Izuku wobbled into Sir's office and plopped the stack of papers down in the middle of his desk. Sir was notably absent- perhaps in the bathroom, perhaps discussion the end of patrol with Mirio- so Izuku had no reason to stick around. Turning away with eyes still clouded by the visions of a bright new source of information, Izuku forgot a crucial detail of his plan.

To sign his name.

* * *

Osamu walks back into his office with Mirio trailing just behind and eyes the stack of papers that suddenly appeared on his desk. Winding around the desk to his chair takes little thought as he continues to keep an ear on Mirio. Picking up the papers he takes a casual glance and tunes his intern out completely by shock.

This is a Profile. A handwritten one, quite the rarity. A fake perhaps? But no... The writing style is completely to form even if the handwriting itself is a cramped mess. The only difference is these are about Heroes. Bonbonnie who he'd started to suspect of taking bribes is at the top of the stack, with Chameoflag under that for taking Underground Hero's villains and listing them as their own fights to gain more popularity, and...

Endeavor's was the thickest of them all. Flicking through the pages at his best attempt at speed reading only brought more concern- excessive property damage aside, there were mentions of bribes to officials Nighteye had never managed to confirm himself with his paying cases taking precedence, a bought quirk marriage, and physically abusive training with his... Four children? When had that man had four children.

It takes less than 30 seconds for him to ascertain all this. And suddenly the thought comes to him. This profile hadn't been here a minute ago when he'd left to collect Mirio. Chances were the deliver was still in the building. Looking back up at Mirio with steel eyes, Nighteye makes a decision.

"I'm locking down the building."

"Why?" Mirio asks, but stands up straight immediately anyway.

"The Profiler is here. These papers prove it."

* * *

Izuku hears the slam of metal doors and the automatic twist of every lock on the windows and doors even from the file closet. A terrible shiver crawls up his spine. He knows what he'd forgotten. There's a moment of stillness before the panic slams down through his head to the rest of his body like the tide.

* * *

"That's just Midoriya's handwriting Sir. You asked him to learn about navigating the Hero Network today didn't you?" Mirio chimes in after a brief look at the documents. "Granted these are pretty thick stacks of paper. Way bigger than mine were!"

"This format is identical," Sir insists as he fans the pages across his desk. "You're saying Midoriya has the knowledge to write not one but three lengthy Profiles with the same level of education that would be necessary for many to believe they've graduated Medical School? To get this much information in the matter of two _hours_?"

"Could've picked it up from his Mom seeing as she works at Musutafu General Hospital." Mirio shrugs. "As for how fast he was... I dunno! He's a big hero fan like you sir. He probably knew most of this prior."

"There is no way he had the records for proving half of this outside the Hero Network. Even then this would have taken far longer if he wasn't used to doing Profiles." Carding through the papers Nighteye points firmly at a new sheet in the middle. "See here? There are references to prove Chameoflag could not have been at the site of three different hero apprehensions in the dead of night within the the half hour period- none of which were told to Reporter's, merely filed for payment via brief reports on the HN."

"Sir you can't really believe Midoriya is the Profiler." Mirio's head shakes a slightly desperate denial. "He would have been so young! Middle-school young!"

* * *

Meanwhile the indistinct voices trail down the hallway to a petrified Izuku. His breath rattles through him even though it feels like he's getting no air at all. His hands feel so cold against his face. Trying to breathe in time does nothing as he's lost all sense of it to the yawning void underneath him. Sir Nighteye already had no reason to like Izuku from the start and now he has what might as well be a written confession to using the Hero Network to profile Heroes with ill intent.

He got so excited he forgot why the rules kept him safe.

Knees bending under his own weight, Izuku finds his back against the cool metal of a filing cabinet. It only makes him feel worse. The door to the closet opens and something hysterical in Izuku wants to laugh with what little breath he has left. His eyes vaguely register green-yellow hair and curls inward even further.

Someone shorter with bright yellow hair pushes their way in front of Sir. Mirio?

"Midoriya, can you hear me?" Izuku shakily inhales and nods a little too fast. Wooziness clouds his vision further. "Good. Well, better than it could be at least! I believe you're having a panic attack." Izuku's breath hitches even worse and Mirio lets out a soothing murmur. "Not to worry, Tamaki has them often as well so I know how to help. Do you need my help regulating your breathing?"

"Y-yes," Izuku chokes out, not willing to nod his head in affirmative after the wooziness.

"Alright. I'm going to put your hand on my chest, and my hand on yours. Okay?" He's never heard of that type of help before. Usually mom would count out the numbers in a quiet voice. Does this work..?

"Ok-okay?" Trembles out of his mouth. A large warm hand settles diagonally across where his heart should be. The other guides ones of Izuku's trembling palms over his own to the smooth rise and fall of calm breathing. The chill in his veins thaws slowly inwards. His lungs match Mirio's before he even notices it and his vision swims back in just in time to catch the flicker of concern on Mirio's face as he breaths a final shaking sigh.

"Did that help?"

"Yes." Izuku nods once, just to make sure it doesn't come back. He takes his hands back reluctantly and Mirio slides the hand up to Izuku's shoulder in friendly concern. What had Tamaki called Mirio? The Sun? It seemed so apt right now with how warm he felt. "I'm sorry sempai, I don't know what came over me-"

"Don't you." Izuku felt his spine go ramrod straight and saw Mirio's comforting smile gain an edge as he looked back at Sir Nighteye. Sir took a long pause as he looked only at Izuku. "You're not in trouble yet, Midoriya. For all the curiosity the Profiler has provoked in the hero community you have yet to put a foot wrong legally. The heroes you have given me profiles on however need to be... discussed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today I offer you... 3k words in the middle of the night. tomorrow? who knows


	2. The Birthday Wish That Took 10 Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takeo Takudo is creepy as fuck in the best way (did you SEE how easy he lies and manipulates everyone he comes into contact with) so here's a spin on that because as a filler anime character I know he's never coming back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUPER mini snippet! I will be uploading a few of these today because I'm in an archiving/good mood!

Takudo is genuinely fond of Midoriya Izuku. A teen so bright with promise to rise above his peers, winning over even the most pessimistic of adults one way or another. Izuku can't lie for all the love or money in the world...

Not a problem Takudo has had to bother with in... Ever, perhaps. Swanning into UA on two false pretenses- the one he gave the journalists desperate for a scoop on All Might, and the UA staff who believed him genuinely interested in some of their most promising hero crop. Both would be good enough for any regular journalist. But Takudo?

"How is he?" His contact asks the second he picks up his burner phone. A smile twists his lips up at the nearly anxious tone from the man on the other end.

"My, straight to business aren't we?" Takudo doesn't linger long enough to let the other grow bitter though. "Izuku-kun is doing very well in a top school like UA. Fourth in his class and Ninth overall for general study exams in the school isn't too shabby for a institute as demanding as UA. His teachers are all somewhat protective of him- I had to catch him alone outside his dorm to have a conversation at all."

"Not a problem for you I imagine." The distinct crack of rolled shoulders was tinny through the phone. "At least the teachers in that god awful institute have some modicum of remorse for building children into soldiers."

"Your faith in me warms my heart!" A rough sigh has him moving on. "Yes, it wasn't hard to stir up some of the boys and leave Eraserhead alone to fix it. That teacher in particular seems attuned to the slightest disturbance around any of his students but especially his favorite problem child. As for Izuku... One For All seems to have fought him for a while. There are scars on his hands as we both suspected that have already lead to minor tremors when not deliberately held still."

"Of course there are," Weary fondness echoing through. "The fact it didn't rip him limb from limb for being a child of mine is miracle enough."

"I had no doubts he would wrangle it eventually, Sensei." Takudo smiles though there is no one here to see it in his quiet apartment. "So? Was the price for Izuku's dream quirk too high for you?"

"Never. What my family wants, they will get. I know that better than anyone." Hisashi let out a slow chuckle. "The moment he told me his birthday wish was to have that quirk, how could I refuse the challenge? Playing dead, isolating Yagi from his few companions, dragging all the other candidates out of his path... Fun like this hasn't come so easily for many decades."

"Let me know when you get your eyes back then. I have some photos you'll definitely want." Takudo heard the wistful hum and the click of an ended call. The smile stays on his face as he slides the phone back into his pocket and collapses on the couch. One of his busiest days in years and years. Being one of All For One's cleanest- and therefore least contacted- assets was always a chore. But it was worth it for days like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "how does he have a phone" idk do you really think this man is really unable to do shit in tartarus? methinks he can do what he likes. Honestly, as if prison would keep him from his secret weekly calls to darling inko.


	3. Can't Take It Back To Yesterday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _wild gesture_ So Basically this world's Izuku was like, a little Prince. Lots of people call him Bouya-chan, the precious lil rich heir not unlike like Iida or Todoroki, except his dad is All For One who has somehow managed to completely conceal his existence from the media a la Bill Gates. He had no quirk to speak of, but seeing as he's so young, no one really thought to check. But now Big Izu is in there and he is running on fumes as he comes to realize this world's All For One was never forced to live underground. He's thought of as a hero of the Quirk Revolution... And Izuku is his son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> brain: you know how you said you can't be writing right now  
> me: yeah  
> brain: false alarm, canon Izuku gets dropped in a five year old version of his body in a world where AFO is his dad and history went far more in his favor  
> me: o h g o d
> 
> Vic enabled and basically half WROTE a bunch of delightfulness in chat I will not be sharing [yet] bc it's his work and I don't want to take credit for it! Also we may actually flesh this one out. Someday.

This body should have died.

That's what the bruises around his neck say to the window's reflection, anyway. Combined with the adult growling threats in the corner of the room with a phone in hand, this seems like a kidnapping. Though, kidnapping the pseudo successor to All Might seems somewhat... impossible. Really.

Looking down in the dim lighting reveals chubby little fingers and a simple white button up shirt. He knows his face is still his thanks to the window. Even if it's... so childlike. How long had it been since he was this small? Ten? Fifteen years? There are a few people who have limited regressive quirks that could have done this to him. None of them are made to last however so if he just waits, he'll go back to normal. 

Even if he doesn't remember a bit of how he'd gotten here. Even if he's not sure he was hit by a quirk at all. He has to turn back eventually. Right?

Time passes, slowly here under something huge snaps to pieces. Like a tree when it's sap froze solid. The person in the corner whips around in a second to confront the threat but it's already too late. Threads of black wrench the door open and almost consume their body before throwing it into a wall. Oh. That didn't sound...

"It's okay to cry Izukun," A rough voice croons as arms press his limp body close and those black appendages saw through the ropes holding his limbs down. "Papa's here now."

The wild black hair, the strong jawline, the haunting voice. Izuku remembers so vaguely yet with such horror who it belong to. All For One is cradling his injured body ever so gently. Looking up with wide (terrorized) eyes, Izuku meets the gaze of the man who claims to be this body's father.

Of course he bursts into tears even thought all it does is make All For One swiftly pluck him from the chair with a deep hum of reassurance. The danger isn't over but some instinct of this body feels so relieved by All For One's presence he can't keep the tears in any longer. Where is he? What's going on?

"Even with the media completely in the dark about you... It seems I need to get you a real bodyguard, hmm?" A massive hand strokes back his fringe. Izuku's tiny body melts into the touch and his brain swirls with disgust at his own relief. "You can even help me pick."

[...]

Izuku just about cries when half the potential bodyguards are people he recognizes. Some are villains, of course, Stain somehow squeaking in, but then... There's Eraserhead. All For One hums thoughtfully as he traces Izuku's gaze to that file.

"Is that your preference?"

Tearing his eyes away slowly, he nods once. A terrible grin rises on that face.

"Well, he does look a bit plain like us on top of that compelling quirk that affects other quirks directly, doesn't he?" Waving a hand, the other files disappeared in a moment. "Aizawa-kun it is."

[...]

"Shinsou..."

Aizawa's eyes snap open. That's a name he hasn't dared to speak during his long hours in this skyscraper. Who was saying it? Black eyes scan the room but only his charge is here.

"Shin-" Six year old Izuku mumbles quietly, brow scrunching up. "Hito... Hitoshi come back. 'S too far."

Well, shit. That was undeniably his son's name out of this tiny brat's mouth. Unbelievable. Were the rumors of the kid having already gotten some sort of info gathering quirk from his father true?

"What's too far?" Aizawa mumbles back, not expecting a response.

"Home," Izuku sighs into his pillow. Tiny fists clench in the silk of his pillowcase. "UA, Hitoshi, Ochako, Iida, Tsuyu, All Might, Aizawa-sensei..."

Aizawa-sensei? Shit, he's barely hit 21 here. But what other Aizawa could be tied to Shinsou Hitoshi? And all those other names?

"Where is home?" He finally asks after a long period of silence.

"Don't know how to go back." Teeth grind. "Wrong universe, wrong body. Still me, but wrong. All wrong. Wanna go back to Hitoshi."

[...]

It makes sense that the Yakuza of this time would come to visit All For One in a twisted sort of way. Izuku tried his best to avoid any of his... Father's dealings. at five he is still too small to be considered for such things. Or so he'd thought.

"Izuku, this is Chisaki Kai. Son of one of our business partners." Yellow hawk like eyes stare vacantly down at him. Clearly bored and also unwilling to be here, but forced for some reason or other. Hisashi doesn't seem to care enough to notice. "Although he is older than you by seven years, I hope you two will get along for the future of our business."

"Okay, dad." Izuku mumbles, fidgeting his hands because he can't afford to run his mouth here. Of all the people he had to run into on accident it had to be the murderous sociopath Overhaul first didn't it. That's just how this life worked. At least Aizawa was behind him this time. Hisashi leaves them to it without a second thought.

And so, the Yakuza Prince meets the All For One Prince. Or so some would say. Only time would show Izuku that Overhaul was no more and only Kai, the boy who dreamed of being a doctor instead of the Hero the rest of society expected him to be, would be one of his greatest assets. Through their meeting here they would spare each other so much pain. And Eri would have a chance in this messed up universe to live without the trauma that once was her core.

[...]

the scenario I have is, there's going to be a big press event on the day of Izuku's 15th bday. Obviously there's some nerves going on- Izuku's vibrating from excitement too however, as this means he can go to a public highschool, which means he can try for UA again and hope that at least some of his old friends made it. Even if he's forced to go into Gen Ed.

But then, someone recognizes him from outside and AFO hears about it. Yikes lmao am I right?

of course all the more friendly criminals are here to help out- Chisaki and Eri being two of them, as they're more or less Izuku's closest friends at this point.

Izuku overhears his father telling Kurogiri to, ah, Get rid of the problem. That's a big no no.

So he ends up using OFA's speed or grabs him with the whip quirk, or maybe he's got a Warp type in there somewhere to get Aizawa away from the portal to who knows what. This possibly has the side effect of giving him his old body back while using OFA, but I'm unsure about that right now. Chisaki and Eri end up helping get them out of the room quickly and more or less get swept up.

Izuku's identity is revealed to the public through this event anyway (Yagi/Osamu/Gran ALL spit out their tea) so while he ends up running away in the middle of the event, he's pretty much sure he's fucked over right at the last second before he had a chance to build foundations that wouldn't collapse based on his birth or his unwillingness to side with AFO. But things work out as they always will in the protagonist's favor.

[...]

This 'Sports Festival' with Shiketsu was ringing Shinsou out like a wet rag. The arena was so huge too, he wasn't sure he'd be able to even find one of the elusive water fountains before he had to be back for the third round of nonsense. Why hadn't he thought to bring a water bottle today?

Midoriya took one look at him and offered him a thermos he'd been carrying.

"You can have some of this if you want!" 

"Oh... Thanks." The thermos even still felt cold to the touch. Shinsou took a brief moment to just press it to his cheek, sighing in relief. Then he made the mistake of sliding the top off and taking a big fucking glug of it.

"Wh-" He spit out the foul tasting liquid. Might be drooling a little from how bitter and disgusting it was too. "What the hell is in this?"

"Oh!" Izuku chirped, looking back at him with wide innocent eyes. Then he smiled so sweet and said "It's just Vodka!"

...Vodka.

What. The fuck.

He saw Jirou's earjacks twitch even though she was easily half the stadium away. She turned around with eyes almost as wide as Izuku's usually were to stare at them. He stared back, both of them trying to communicate how flabbergasted they were at this turn of events.

"Is there... a reason you have Vodka?" Shinsou manages to choke out.

"Well, you know, I'm around 96% certain my sperm donor forced this entire thing to happen in some sort of ploy to get me out of UA. If there was any time I've ever wanted to be drunk more I don't remember it! Oh and uh Vodka instead of something tastier like a good Rum and Coke because Aizawa would have definitely noticed it was the wrong color in my thermos today and he can't smell anything in the mornings except coffee."

"When have you had Rum and Coke?"

"Whoops, I gotta go, the Shiketsu kids are approaching! Good luck Shinsou!" Izuku swipped the bottle of terrible alcohol out of his hands and sprinted back into the UA only locker rooms.

[...]

There are many things Izuku had cried over in this universe. The deaths he couldn't prevent, the corruption of a system he had grown up idealizing, the powerless feeling of being in such a young body...

Even so there were things that kept him going. That made everything worth it, if not for him, for the others.

Eri never flinched when someone reached out for her. She'd happily take the hand of any of the adults at UA without a care in the world. Lunch Rush would make candy apples special for her (which Izuku was sheepish to admit he'd gotten her hooked on long before they'd come here). 

Shigar- Shimura, rather... Well he was still scarred by many experiences. At least here however he got out. It was strange seeing him start speaking in gaming terms with Kouta most days but it was so much more about curiosity than destruction. The cat ears had been a surprise but much better than the hands that had decorated him before.

Then there was Shinsou. As much as he had lo- had, liked being around Shinsou even in their highschool days... This Shinsou was brighter somehow. Even with his wide birth of Izuku in the beginning he'd been able to enter the UA Hero course without a year of waiting and proving himself over and over. And it showed. 

When the pressure of this world became too much, Izuku would force himself to think about those things. To push away the journals of his past world and look at his classmates smiling and think 'Even just this was worth everything'.

Maybe one day Shinsou will turn that smile to him again. The one that used to be only theirs. No... No, probably not. But he could hope with all the other impossible things this life was giving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, I am, hmm, going to be putting a few less polished bits up for context. But still real bits of story for the chunk of it!
> 
> if I ever like. do this shit. There will be shindeku bc im a slut for shindeku


	4. All I Wanted (Was His Soul)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A VERY brief glimpse into a world where All For One's most lasting impression of a kind adult... Is Izuku.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _dabs_ surprise motherfucker bet u thought u'd seen the last of me today

"It's going to be fine," As a hand full of calluses curls around the back of his head so carefully. Smelling of cotton and sweat. Lifting him up like there was no weight to his bones and settling him high enough to bury his face in a warm neck. "You have me now."

"But my little brother, he's lost," Hisashi sniffles, unable to lift himself from a broad shoulder. The hand in his hair tightens only for a moment. "We were walking to the supermarket together and suddenly he wasn't there anymore! And- And he's not good with directions-"

"We'll find him." The teen stops him with a firm tone. No hesitance. No worry of maybe-not's. Just an enviable sense of certainty that Hisashi wanted so desperately to have. One final squeeze of a hug and Izuku sets him down but clutches his hand close. "Which way did you last see him go?"

Within an hour of looking a few things dawned on Hisashi that perhaps should have been apparent the moment he lost sight on Yoshiro. There were quirks- well, everywhere. Glittering scales and sidewalks rippling underneath them and a TV roaring about Heroes and Villains. But most of all, Izuku seemed unphased by any of it except for the bits of excited trivia that tumbled out of him when Hisashi asked him about particular people. Hisashi didn't think he was aware of doing it, but it was so. Fascinating.

Powers didn't seem new or unwelcome at all here.

This wasn't his. World. Time? His place, certainly, no matter how much he looked and decided he wanted e v e r y t h i n g .

Mostly though, he wanted to be like Izuku. Knowing all about all these quirks. Living among them without fear. Brave enough to reach out to someone terrified and say "You have me now" and mean it. To hold on to what he decided was his and protect it.

Hisashi eventually spots the gleam of his brother's white hair in the crowd. Without thinking, he wriggles away from Izuku's hold and follows after. 

200 years is a long time to forget. But some things-

"It's fine now." Dark hair and red eyes and every inch the grandchild of Shimura Nana looked up at him with desolated eyes. He extended a hand to ruffle the unkempt hair. The warmth of human touch and a wide smile had the boy trembling in relief against him. Even as revenge hovered at the surface of his thoughts he remembered being scared just like this little boy and couldn't help but repeat the words that had made him feel safe. "You have me."

-Well, they stay with you no matter how you warp them along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular AU was supposed to be about a version of All For One who find himself completely unable to oppose Izuku, not for power, but for sentimentality. Or something like that anyway! It was more of a AFO isn't really related to Izuku but more or less finds him anyway and grows attached in a way that never quite fades, and them having to deal with that morally and in the middle of battles and whatnot.


	5. "No."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "All it would have taken was for one, just **one** of them to stand up and say 'No. We won't behave like animals anymore!'"
> 
> In another life, Dracula would say such as truth. No one had stood up and said it was wrong to burn a female doctor because they were afraid to be burned themselves. He forgets sometimes that peasants have so little power against the Church, the Nobles.
> 
> Trevor Belmont had never let fear stop him from fighting beast nor man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adding another fandom? sir yes ma'am. a semi-fix it? oh absolutely, I'm sure it's been done before BUT I'M GONNA DO IT AGAIN
> 
> ahem, I am workin thru a backlog instead of studying for my chem test, don't mind me

The Speakers and the Belmonts had cultivated an alliance long before Trevor could meet Sypha. It is what leads him at the bleeding heart age of twelve and homeless and without family and so afraid of the Church to look for the Speakers high and low. In another world perhaps he would stick to the backwater towns Speakers had little reason to visit in an effort to lie low. Here, he misses his sisters and thinks of Eloise laughing about one day joining the Speakers to solidify the alliance.

In that search he finds Lisa Tepes instead. He's gotten something on the road, a cough that shudders deep through his lungs and leaves his muscles aching fiercely. She smells of herbs his father cultivated and everything about her murmurs about a human too smart for the world to accept. It's what makes him give in to her worrying hands as they drag him back to her home.

The Church proves him right all too quickly with burly men and flickering torches.

But Trevor could never let someone die for the crime of being too knowledgeable. Not again. Not by _fire._

He taunts them with a teenage tongue, cough muffled under his taunting holler as he leads them away into the midnight forest so Lisa might have a chance. The torch light had caught his family crest first after all. A Belmont was worth more than a witch, but they'd have to work for it, sick as he is. They chase him for three hours or more by the way the moon overtakes the sun in the sky.

Trevor is tired. So, so tired. They found him at dawn and he had fought back two hours more. By the end the priests and followers alike were more than tired past the point of hissing anger. They dragged him back to the city with nary a word- Trevor took care to note that Doctor Lisa Tepes house stood tall still with smug satisfaction- and was thrown into a cell while they went to sleep.

Evening, they reasoned, would be a better time for a burning after all. They had someone to do it to even if it wasn't a witch. A Belmont should burn with guilt just the same if not brighter in the darkness.

Lisa Tepes recalls her husbands face as she stares into the Mirror that was theirs. She needed him here. Trevor would argue about how young teenage years can be considered in a time like this but Lisa knew she would not let a child burn to save her own skin. There was no need for anyone to burn. Not while she could reach for Dracula.

Eyes like coals turn to her in the mirror. She reaches out a hand, and it touches cool skin.

"Come home, husband. I need your strength."

They tie Trevor to the stake as his chest rattles. The cold stones of the cell had done nothing to help his condition. Still his eyes burn and he aims each cough at whoever is closest, snarling and jeering with glee when they recoil. One more bit of spite for the pile.

He may be the end of the Belmont line tonight. At least Dracula had been quiet on the mayhem front since a few years before Trevor was born. So oddly quiet...

The Priest (who Trevor has dubbed Snivley after his scrunchy disdainful nose and obvious greed for promotion despite clearly being the wealthiest to come see the last spawn of Belmont) watches as they build the woodpile under Trevor's feet. He wishes he was closer so he could spit on him. This is the man who will crow about having killed the last Belmont on the pews on the church. The last dedicated barrier between monsters and men.

The world grows so hazy in his vision. The words when they come seem far away. He will die roasting and excommunicated for saving someone from a monster. That's the fucking Belmont family way. That's what's right.

There is flame blooming with sparks at his feet and he is so tired. Can he stay awake through this? It would be something of a blessing to sleep through the pain this once. Eyes drooping as he warms up. It almost feels nice against the protesting muscles this illness has given him. If only the air weren't so dry.

"What right do you pretend to have to burn the last of Leon Belmont's kin?"

Alright, maybe there was something that could wake him up.

The fire roars back into awareness as it starts blistering his feet. The crowd parts and he sees what must be Doctor Lisa pushing through the crowd with the man- who far too closely resembles the vampire his great something grandfather had formed a clan of hunters to hunt- at her heels, and a pale teen at her side with a jar full of what could be ointment.

The yelling that follows blurs in his ears. It's too loud to comprehend as the heat be it fire or fever runs through him. This... This must be a hallucination. Hysterical laughter is hidden under a bone rattling cough. To imagine the monster his family had hunted coming to speak for him. To save him in the moments before death to suffer more is cruel...

A deep ache in his chest that has nothing to do with illness pulls taut. Part of him had hoped, this way, he could see his family again without feeling shame. He misses his sisters so terribly.

The hallucination flickers out to the blackness of exhaustion. He misses the end of the screaming mass of people and never witnesses being carried to the castle his family hadn't seen since Leon had started the whole crusade. Burn cream on his blistered heels and Vlad Dracula Tepes having removed him from the tongues of flame while weak with the flu.

The Speakers will practically run from the city with this piece of history begging to be screamed from the highest mountain. Vampire Dracula has a human wife who was saved by the last Belmont, and in turn, he has taken that unconscious Belmont to his castle. What has happened? And more importantly, what hasn't happened? If Dracula's Wife had been taken to the Stake instead...

Trevor does not know any of that. Half of him still believed it was a hallucination taking over as the last Belmont burned. But Doctor Lisa has a son that looks to be his age- perhaps a big younger? Both of them blonder than hay as they tend to him.

Lisa smiles at him when she notices he's awake but does not say anything as she tends to each problem. Her son looks at Trevor with curious gold eyes. Something about that isn't right, but he's too exhausted to recall anything but smiling bemusedly back. The boy huffs at him before dropping a wet cloth over his eyes.

Awakening later he sees the night black of maybe-Dracula look into his now empty room. Sharp eyes tracing features that must be similar if watered down from Leon. Even as the honestly most certainly a vampire if not thee Dracula approaches Trevor can't muster the energy to smack the hand reaching for him. Clawed fingernails brush sweat damp hair out of a young face with a startling amount of practiced ease.

"How strange of you to save the wife of a Vampire." Nails graze his scalp and he should be absolutely terrified but it felt so similar to Stella's long nails scratching his head he doesn't even flinch. Oh wow, that was quite the beard this Vampire had going. Trevor still hadn't gotten a single bit of stubble. Now why was that pinging familiar? "From other humans no less."

"So says the Vampire with a human wife. Had no idea she was married to your kind then but it doesn't matter." Dark red eyes stared down at him as he chokes on another cough. A cup is pressed to his lips and he savors the cool water in his throat. "Did you really expect anything different from a Belmont? Always had a saving people problem."

"Yes..." Things are silent for a long time. The nails withdraw from his head only to have cold hands start checking over his pulse and the bandages wrapped around his burns. "Though I would have thought as the last Belmont alive it would have occurred to you to save yourself first. No more Belmonts means no one is hunting Dracula."

"No more Belmonts..." Trevor laughs and his throat stings. "It should have been announced as such months ago with our manor was burned. What am I supposed to do against Dracula by myself? All the best family weapons and tomes under so much ash and the world thinking me a monster? And years before my birth the word of Dracula's wanderings have gone silent. Nothing. My days still living are a fluke at best.

"So I figured, it's one of the few good Doctors in the world or me burning today. The choice is that easy Vampire." Sleep is weighing on him again. Trevor feels his jaw pop with a yawn. "I stood up and told them no, they weren't burning another Doctor to death. Not after my father. I know how cruel humans are to each other with no one saying powerful enough to tell them no. And if I die after, it was fighting a monster like any Belmont would."

Sleep takes him easily for the first time in months. There is no pain in his limbs- shit, Doctor Lisa must have drugged the water up good. His mind that had been on high alert because there was no one to watch his back is disturbingly content to have this creature who could rip him limb from limb watch over him as he sleeps. Somehow he feels safe.

A blanket is drawn over his dozing body. The door creaks open and Adrian peers inside, visibly startling when he sees Dracula standing there. Sweeping forward, Dracula puts a hand on Adrian's arm to guide him away. They need to talk. Dracula can feel his mind reeling under the weight of two revelations in the same day.

If his wife had been burned, he knows the darkness in him would have come rushing forward with no regards to their son or humanity. That would have been enough to rattle him any day. With the last Belmont in his castle, clearly wishing for someone to give him death instead of this growing grief, there is only more to fuel his growing rage.

Leon's kin were all but gone. He should have been relieved. But Trevor reminded him of Leon before it had all gone to power struggles and immortality. That had been the Leon who was as much his brother as anything else. And Vlad... Vlad wanted nothing more than to fix things. Except he was rather bad at fixing humans like this.

So, his better half and his son would have to get involved. And if the way Adrian was looking back at Trevor's room had anything to say he would be easy enough to get invested in the reckless human's well being. Curiosity was half the battle. The other half could be the life debt now owed for Lisa whether Trevor accepted the reality of it or not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trevor here is in a pretty different mindset from canon. For one, he's literally only just had his whole family taken away from him a few months ago. Two, he went looking for the Speakers and months later they seem to be avoiding him almost, which isn't helping his lonely scared brain at all. Three, his father was similarly educated in Medicine as Lisa is (because fighting Dracula meant studying and understanding him and that meant the medicine he obviously manufactures) and Trevor is in High Empathy Mode for things concerning reminders of his family. Four, HE'S REALLY FUCKIN SICK he has NO idea that this vampire is Dracula and he's also pretty much in Warrior Assisted Suicide mindset mode. If this Vamp offs him, cool, he died a warrior death and he'll hopefully get to see his family in the afterlife he only half believes in.


	6. will my time travel need ever be completely satisfied?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nana was made of whimsy and fairytales. Strong and motherly to her protege, the heir to a legacy of doing good and aiming to slay the dragon. 
> 
> But to look past what kindness Toshi knew of her reveals the deep bloody ache of her crusade against All For One. And more so... What drove him to make Shimaru Tenko into Shigaraki Tomura. Petty people fighting their bloodied wars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OG Idea was all the way back from 06/15/2018 SO YOU CAN IMAGINE CANON IS A BIT DIFFERENT THAN I EXPECTED LMAO but still, I think this holds some water. Not gonna polish it tho! Not gonna polish it. no matter the temptation. it is almost 3 AM I need to stop

Putting a choke hold on Shimura Tenko's life was never about baiting All Might. Not _really._

* * *

Wherever he'd landed was terribly disorienting until he saw her. Shimaru Nana standing tall with that proud smile she would someday pass on to All Might. Then he thought just maybe everything would be okay... He just needs to sit here a bit and figure out what comes next.

She's a flicker in the edge of his vision until directly in front of him time after time even as he strains the percentage of strength as far as he can without resorting to breaking a bone again. Fear races up his spine because he doesn't know what set her off. He saw her minutes ago as a hero, cleaning up the collateral damage and lugging rubble like it was nothing... Until she had seen him.

A smile turned wicked with fear. She shouldn't know Izuku's face- had one of his grandparents done something? He doesn't have time to think about it as she sends him sprawling. Her 100% is no where near All Might's... But it's more than enough to leave him wheezing.

He springs to the side, feeling more than seeing the impact of a kick as it indented the cement of the alley. Driving him deeper in, farther away from prying eyes. This more than anything proved that whatever sent him here had no real goal- unless it was to kill him dead. Scrabbling on his hands for more distance, just one more inch, far enough that maybe someone would hear and-

A dress shoe places itself neatly beside his red-raw hand. Looking up to curious green eyes and hair a familiar green-on-black tint. Lips quirked into an almost effortless slight smile that changed into a thin line as they took Izuku in. But there was little time for that. A business man could be little to no help at all as he glanced over his shoulder to see the woman advancing.

The shoes step past him, sliding between them as if he was enough to be a barrier.

"Nana," The defender greets her faux cheerfully. "What a surprise!"

"Bastard!" Newly identified Nana growled as she skidded to a stop. "Did you think you could hide a kid from me forever? He'll pay for your sins just as much as you will."

"As if I have time to have children keeping up with you," The man mused idly like each word wasn't punctuated with a spark as vines that hadn't been there before crept down the alley walls towards Nana. "Dragging a clueless child into your ire young lady?"

"Lying hasn't worked before but you never learn do you?" He wishes he knew what all of this was about. But he can't even sneak away because one of the vines has encircled his wrist like a snare, spikes digging in just enough so he was aware any movement would bite. Stuck watching them bristle at each other for a few long moments before Nana spit on the sidewalk. "I'll be back for you. _Both_ of you."

Then she's gone. Leaving that half smile to curl on that person's face and turn to Izuku with a critical gaze. Izuku can see why that woman would've thought them related- those eyes, the hair, the jawline, the height... It's eerily similar.

"Wherever did you come from little sprout?"

AFO just takes Izuku back with him as a little curiosity and because he irritates Nana by simply being alive... But he keeps getting intrigued.

Izuku can't help his mumbling, doesn't know AFO riffles through the notebooks he lets Izuku have where he talks about the quirks of the people he sees even in passing, the dissection, the attention to detail. Daichi worms knowledge out of Izuku and it just gives him more questions.

Izuku doesn't know what to do with someone who listens to literally everything he says so avidly and can talk back just as fast.

Izuku is what ends up convincing AFO that maybe he should have kids, if they're going to be so smart. And cute. Let's face it Inko and Izuku are adorable and no one can completely resist the idea of cute offspring...

But Izuku isn't his kid. He's his grandkid- not that either of them really know it. Izuku's just trying to survive the past because he doesn't exactly want to be seen and he also doesn't want to die by Nana's fists rip in pieces. Their time together is actually rather short all things considered- he vanishes while running away from Nana one last time so AFO draws his own conclusions.

* * *

Daichi grows to adore his grandson's mind and argue over his dreams for the short time they have together. In his mind it was Nana's fault at the end. His rage at the vanishing of Deku- as Izuku had never given anything else as his name- was enough to make Nana give her child up for adoption. It wasn't enough. A grandchild for a grandchild. Equivalent in suffering.

* * *

There's plenty of reasons the connection between Present Izuku and Past Izuku is yet to be made in All For One's mind. The primary reason currently being Shiga doesn't do descriptions of Izuku well. He calls him plain and Izuku's got more control of AFO by the past thing so- well, it doesn't look like the same quirk really. Not for a while.

Of course even with that it comes to a point where Izuku trips back into his present and shakes it off, a few weeks older but not outwardly changed, and heads off to camp without informing his teachers of jack diddly squat.

People symbolize the changing timeline with a butterfly's flapping wings. But here it's more a shadow in the corner of his vision that leads Izuku down a different path. Into the portal because he can't let go. Not this time.

They're all about to learn a lesson they never wanted to know. Like the fact when, under pressure, Izuku talks like his grandpappy. It's like all the stress reaches critical mass and he just. Can't care anymore. His shoulders go back, he widens his stance even sitting in the chair with his legs bound, he looks down his nose without tilting his head back. His words are deep and short because why waste words on you? Even when internally he's screeching with fear. It makes people feel small.

It's a look Shiga hasn't seen since Sensei lost his eyes. Under the bar's light recognition grows. His hair takes on just the right shade of green. The shadows on his face highlight how square his jaw is getting. It's too many coincidences.

Shigaraki stumbles away as Izuku keeps glaring. "Sensei...?"

Izuku doesn't have the connection that Sensei is his grandpa... Yet. So he's just confused at that but he doesn't stop the disdained look that is working so hard to mask his panic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIND OUT NEXT WEEK ON DRAGON BALL Z-


	7. You All Over My Skin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR about the concept: KNY ABO but I said this ain't about reproduction horny fucks. It's about CLAIMAGE. Omega's establish familial and friendship type scent bonds with their scent glans, Alpha's establish territory and to an extent mating scent bonds, and Beta's have the special scent glans that produce pheromones that encourage moods (anger, affection, disgust, sadness) as well as can wipe the scent of others off. Obviously you do not need an Omega's scent to be friends/family, beta to beta, alpha to alpha, or beta to alpha, but it's a very possessive and thrilling trait. Anyone with an Omega's smell on them is in some way prideful about it.
> 
> They're strong enough regular humans can smell them if they're standing close-ish to you, but only Tanjirou and Demons can really smell that from a distance unless you're distinctly searching for that particular Omega's scent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [any and all kny content - Rei]
> 
> SHOUT OUT TO REI, LETTIN ME BASICALLY GO 'WEREWOLFS WITHOUT THE WOLF BUT VERY MUCH THE SCENTING FAMILY THING' WITH A WHOLE ASS "MY FRIEND PLAYED KNY WILDCARD" EXCUSE

There’s an axe embedded in the tree right where his head had been a minute before.

For six years now, facing demon after disaster, no one has ever come so close to killing him. Two siblings are unconscious because of the mercy he’d spent all that time trying to suffocate. He should be absolutely terrified. Cut off the demon’s head while they cannot fight him irregardless of her unwillingness to eat her brother. All that comes to mind is…

‘I can’t leave them here in the snow.’ The itch of his presentation seeing these two children and thinking they might live long enough to… to…

The boy is eased onto his back and the girl carried in both his arms. The wound on her head is closing slowly for a demon. It should be dangerous to walk around without a sword in hand. Giyuu presses forward anyway.

Their house reeks of blood still. Nezuko doesn’t even stir. Giyuu leaves them on the cleanest part of the floor and gets to work. Usually the Kakushi would do this work for the others but Giyuu has always done his best to outrun them. Digging graves with his own hands. Cleaning the floorboards and walls of the gore that remained.

When the blood is gone, Giyuu finds the futons folded away and mercifully untouched by the slaughter. He lays two out and slides the siblings under the covers awkwardly. At least they’ll be warm when they wake up.

Rubbing the back of his hand under his chin and against his cheek, he sighs. How unfortunate. His familial glans are working hard for the first time since he’d awakened them astoundingly early at thirteen with Sabito. Biology refusing to understand how marking them like this- so soon after meeting them, after their family’s deaths, before talking to them in anything but accusation and anger- would be wrong.

They wouldn’t choose Giyuu as family.

Even if they wanted to, he couldn’t let them.

-

Somehow Tanjirou had managed to convince Giyuu to try and visit at least once every month while he trained with Urokodaki. It had been- strange. The boy had awoken not long after Giyuu finished cleaning with eyes finding Nezuko first. Welling up with tears until he saw Giyuu.

He’d taken a deep breath and the tears had stopped. Eyes turning curious as his nose worked and worked. Giyuu knew he’d managed to wash the familial claiming pheromones off in icy water and had been extremely careful not to touch either of them, so that couldn’t be it. Even so his hands stay folded in front of him to prevent him from reaching out while the instinct was still so strong to make the siblings smell right.

Giyuu of course told him to go to Urokodaki as soon as possible. If anyone would take Giyuu’s word seriously it would be his old teacher. From there, Tanjirou could grow strong, live on, and learn more about what his sister could become. To prevent that at all costs. Tanjirou had understood that easily with burning eyes and clenching fists.

“When will you visit?” Tanjirou finally asked as the conversation flowed to it's end. Nezuko blinked awake by his side. Giyuu didn’t know what to say to that. Visit…? Why would Tanjirou want that?

“Urokodaki-sensei will teach you everything you need to know.”

“Yes, but when will you visit?”

They went in circles like this for a while until Nezuko grumbled and pointed at the moon still barely visible. Tanjirou seemed to extrapolate from there that once every lunar cycle Giyuu would visit, and dashed off from there. Giyuu was left behind feeling bound to a promise he’d never really made. So he visited.

-

Tanjirou was… very tactile. With Urokodaki it seemed at least he would hold off out of respect towards his teacher but when Giyuu came to visit there were no boundaries. Giyuu had tried to dodge many times when Tanjirou would come running down the path to barrel into him but Tanjirou just spun on his heel and kept going. He would guide Giyuu around Urokodaki's woods as if he hadn't lived there during his own training years with cheer as his hair grew longer and scattered a still unassigned scent behind.

Then he’d drag Giyuu to Nezuko’s side, regaling both of them (even Nezuko’s sleeping self seemed to pay attention somehow) with how his training had gone this month. Shoulder to shoulder with Giyuu, one hand stroking back Nezuko’s hair from her face Every strung out exhausted part of Giyuu seemed to unwind somewhere closer to contentment with each visit. Urokodaki's place had never smelled more like a home.

The smell of sunshine that clung to Tanjirou and Nezuko would spread to Giyuu so slowly he didn’t notice for months and months until finally another Pillar meeting happened right after his visit. Rumors of an Upper Moon sighting in Osaka that would lead to another dead end. But for Giyuu…

“Oh my?” Shinobu said sweetly, hand rising to cover her mouth loosely as her nose worked curiously. Giyuu immediately felt hunted as the eyes of the other pillars turned their direction. Yes, best to get out of here now that the meeting was over- “You smell like happy children and some equally content Omega today. Who was grateful enough to let their kids try and possess you?”

“No one.” Giyuu said lowly. Children... Letting Tanjirou drag him along must have done it. The poor boy probably hadn’t even realized what clinging to Giyuu would do to their scents. Giyuu should have though, and he grits his teeth at his own ignorance. His legs were itching to jump over the fence, but Oyakata was still here so it would be extremely rude. Then again, Uzui was in front of the only gate out…

“Now that can’t be true-” Shinobu's teasing scorn was cut short however.

“Come on Giyuu, don’t be shy!” Kanroji was bounding on her heels giddily. “You must like them a lot if you let an Omega leave a scent on you!”

“...Ah.” Well, he can’t really blame them when he’d smelt of almost nothing for years in their close quarters during meetings. And Kanroji at least was genuinely curious. So he might as well be honest with her. Averting his eyes from the crowd he mutters the truth. “The Omega you smell is just me.”

“Eh?” Kanroji had frozen mid bounce. Well. Perhaps the idea of him being an Omega was shocking. Being a loner didn’t match up with Omega status at all, on top of the scarcity of the designation. The way Sanemi’s eyes were burrowing into his skull probably meant it was time to leave. Quickly.

“Then.. The children’s smell-” Rengoku had started before Giyuu’s eyes turned to him. Whatever his face looked like must have been enough to shut Rengoku down in an instant. The others didn’t even dare start saying anything. All he felt was the heat of possessive rage clawing up through the numb chill of his depression. Who did they think they were, asking about his fami-

“Excuse me, I should head out first.” Came out so faint that if the courtyard hadn’t already been silent no one would have heard. Giving up on pretenses he was over the tall fence in an instant. His crow would have to catch up later.

-

It wasn't necessarily that he was worried about being courted closer to the group if it his Omega status was revealed. (It was, really. He didn't deserve to be a Pillar in the first place. To be praised with words he could never know weren't motivated by status made his skin crawl.)

Sniffing his wrist, he caught the scent of sunshine and couldn't help but melt just a little more. The Kamado's clung to his skin and it settled his nerves. It was wrong to use them like this but... Well. Furiously chinning his own wrist was definitely better than wresting Tanjiro into his lap for a proper scenting. 

To anyone else it might seem pitiful how he was so reluctant to share his scent with someone he so obviously would die for in a heartbeat. Others still might be angry at him for hoarding his gift. To many there was no higher esteem than that of becoming washed in an Omega's scent after every bath. Those people however would view him as little more than a luxury.

Those were not his thoughts however. Instead all he could think of was for Tanjirou to make it through the mountain alive. It was a horrid week of dodging his fellow Pillars who were intrigued by his revealed Omegahood and waiting for the results to come in via his crow. Maybe it would just be easier to wait at Urokodaki's. The warmth of it would soothe his nerves. Just... after this demon was slayed.

(And wasn't that a miracle in itself, that he wasn't waiting for the Demon to get the best of him.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Hayato's Request!


	8. Trans Giyuu Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trans Woman Giyuu realizes she can and probably should correct people about her gender more often after the Kamado siblings consistently adore and recognize her for who she really is. She wins a lot of hearts along the way, but she's pretty oblivious. Very pieced together, some keynotes instead of scenes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese Culture Blurb: Japanese is a language where spoken gender is not typically dictated by others [she/her his/his they/theirs ae/aer] but rather if at all shared it is by the various I versions [Ore/Boku/Watashi/Atashi/etc] that may reveal no more about your gender than you'd like. Many women feel comfortable with the masculine Ore and Boku versions, and equally so some men will you the gender neutral Watashi or even the feminine Atashi as it suits their mood. The childhood suffixes [-chan & -kun] that you may assume indicate gender are more endearments with levels of "sweetheart" or a fond "brat" behind them. However, used in a certain way, it is heavily implied that the speaker is referring to a woman for -chan or a man with -kun.
> 
> NOW THAT THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY WHO'S READY TO FUCKIN PARTY *pops party popper* TRANS LADY GIYUU/SANEMI/RENGOKU WHO ARE DUMB AND RESPECT HER AND SHOWS THIS BY SWORDFIGHTING ON THE FRONT LAWN OF THE WATER PILLAR ESTATE
> 
> General info: no they're not gonna be stupid about "if she's a real woman". yes they are all going to accept her as a trans woman, but most of the time she will be referred to simply as a woman because at the end of the day trans women are women. there's not gonna be any stupid heirship baby drama. there IS gonna be stupid boys having to realize Uzui and his Wives could be Giyuu and her Husbands.

Trans Woman Giyuu who has kept her feminine side private to the rare off time she has at the Water Estate which is typically unvisited until Tanjirou and Nezuko worm their way in. There was a bit of shyness involved with not correcting the others view of her gender but also dressing feminine to go into battle seems like more effort and greater risk of her few nicer clothes getting damaged so. She takes the -kun's that rarely come. Mostly she gets -san anyway.

Nezuko takes extreme pride in attaching hair ribbons and carefully smudging makeup on onee-san during off days. Tanjirou brings her back a hair ornament shaped like a koi fish once, and gets followed by Zenitsu, Inosuke, and secretly Shinobu tails them too. Nothing bad happens. Well except the stupid joke about a fourth wife from Uzui.

* * *

Giyuu repents for her survival in a number of quiet ways. The salary she is given never lingers long in her pockets as she seeks out those who have lost their family to demons and demonhood. Angling her body as she fights so that vital areas are more exposed to save the yukata of Nee-san and Sabito over her own life because even now she does not know how to sew. Only Urokodaki's generosity stitched the two yukata together for her years ago now.

The way she never intended was upon her first pillar meeting to be called "Giyuu-kun" over and over. What had started it? Did they know how she was born? Was it the fact she chose pants to as uniform? The flatness of her chest? Her ignorance of how to style her hair beyond trying vainly to pull it into some semblance of a ponytail? It didn't matter.

It is an old pain she had forgotten since Nee-san died (because of her) as she had left the village that remembered Giyuu was born a male. The few she had gotten close to knew her as Watashi, as Giyuu-chan, as Sister. But these Pillars and their (our) leader are the strongest and she is here by mistakes alone. Nothing like the other two women who earned their places here with a keen mind of poison and amazing strength so good at protecting her whole family. So she never says anything.

Sabito should have been Water Pillar. He would have been Sabito-kun and snarled and laughed and belonged among these powerhouses as a man. Giyuu feels even more out of place.

The Pillars scorn her for leaving each meeting early. There is only so long she can stand in their presence and pretend like He belongs.

* * *

It's not that she doesn't have feminine clothing. Beyond a few plain kimono Urokodaki had insisted on a beautiful furisode in bright river blue with koi on its long sleeves and an extravagant uchikake with the journey of phoenix detailed in its fine embroidery on its outermost lay. She doesn't think she'll ever wear that uchikake. To marry is to think she'll live long enough for Muzan to die. And in some ways her heart had already been claimed by wild pink hair and green eyes.

Not that he would let her use him as an excuse, but he is gone, and she is undeserving.

No one visits the Water Pillar Estate. Which is a shame. It is one of only two places she relaxes enough to take off the uniform and lose the carefully blank expression. When she scowls, or bites her lip, or watches the clouds with dreamy eyes. In those moments she looks like herself.

The other place of course is Urokodaki's mountain. Which is how Tanjirou and Nezuko come to realize she's... Herself over the two years of training where she rarely checks in on them. Tanjirou still calls her Giyuu-san most of the time of course but just once she overheard Nee-san and her hand spasmed to clutch at her heart. He must have been talking about someone else. Nezuko sleeps on, until she doesn't. 

After the mess of Nezuko's discovery and putting her own life on the line (what little its value) in defense of the younger girl seems to only make the Kamado's seek her out more. (She forgets the way Tanjirou glares not just for Nezuko's sake, but bristles when she's called Giyuu-kun and all but spat upon by some of the other Pillars.)

They have to go their separate ways quickly. It is still a comfort when Tanjiro firmly calls her Giyuu-san in front of the others before they go.

* * *

Demon Slaying doesn't particularly pay a lot. Especially not for new members who could either quit from fear at a moment's notice or die to a demon in half the time. Saying nothing about lugging around a demon sister that they just barely tolerate which might influence your pay even lower. That's not to say those who past the test are left penniless- food budget is calculated for a generous stomach since muscles must be maintained, hotel fees are of course factored in for a few nights each assignment, and there often is enough left over that they may keep as Bonus Pay. Which Tanjirou, Zenitsu, and Inosuke all got a fairly hefty sum for this mission due to _sleeping in the woods_ and _hunting their own food._

Zenitsu immediately noticed Tanjirou puttering in front of a craftsman shop's open door before the mission began in earnest when they should have been finding the hotel. The inside has gleaming accessories from simple lacquered hair sticks to gorgeous creatures of metal with gems for eyes on shining metal combs. Red eyes lingered on a display of lotus plants and curves of fish in motion.

Had Nezuko any affinity for tying her hair up Zenitsu would have slid around him in a flash. But, she never wanted anything more than a braid someone else made and a simple piece of cloth to tie it off. Which makes this... Suspicious.

After the mission is over (and Zenitsu sulks over having slept on the ground when there was an inn not a hundred paces away) Tanjirou slips away. Or he tries to. Zenitsu lets him be only because Inosuke slams into his back at full force for a victory wrestle. When Tanjirou reappears it's with the click of Nezuko's long nails on something metal from inside her box and then something... Tinging, like glass.

* * *

can u imagine zenitsu realizing when he sees giyuu "wait. SHOULD I ASK HER TO-"  
"zanitsu kun please take the braincell back you need it right now"  
"HE SEES PRETTY LADY, HE PROPOSES IT IS HIS WAY"

* * *

"You don't need to pretend with us Giyuu-chan. We're like family!"

The younger teen's so earnest, fists in the air with a determined look and Giyuu is... touched, and a bit blown away that he makes such a declaration so earnestly. She tries not to cry, just a little. It's going to be impossible. Later when he's gone she knows the battle will be lost.

"I know." She sighs, expression softening with bemusement as her voice pitches to a feminine baritone and slips into Watashi. "But you should be in the Wisteria Estate for a checkup when you come back. I can't help you..."

Her words fail as Tanjirou sets down Nezuko's box to let her out. Nezuko's smallest form shuffles out on her knees with silk cloth cradled in her hands. Tanjirou pets her hair fondly before plucking the silken lump away and smiling shakily at Giyuu.

"Giyuu-chan," Tanjirou calls her again in one warm moment as he unwraps the Kanzashi from the silk cloth. A koi with bright blue eyes and scales the gleam white and burnished orange in the burning oil. There are delicate glass orbs dangling from it like bubbles in the river. Her hands shake by her side, too scared to reach out. "We wanted to give you this. Nezuko-chan picked it out and I saved up to pay for it. It's... not much, but-"

"Otouto." Tanjirou stills mid word. "Imouto." Nezuko croons, eyes blazing bright as they focus. Finally her hands are calm and she reaches out to trace the fine details of the Koi. A beautiful thing she'd never allowed herself to want before. "This is everything."

"Onee-san," Tanjirou breathes, eyes watering already even as he opens the door to the pond, as Nezuko grows tall by his side and ambles forward to make Giyuu sit on the wooden porch. Slender fingers with long nails separate Giyuu's hair into sections and bundle the frankly uneven spikes into a beautiful whorl Nezuko holds together with the kanzashi. Tanjirou sits next to her and watches with a wide grin.

For once she is an older sister and for this moment she feels like living might be important again.

* * *

they are DEFINITELY being watched by Zen, Ino, and a pillar (probably Shinobu bc she's nosey af)  
shinobu can butt in about the chan and watashi and the kids can crowd the kamados but it wont erase the smile from giyuus face or how the tension fell off her

* * *

The less we say about Zenitsu's loud proposal to Giyuu, the better for his dignity. 

Shinobu invites (demands) Giyuu visit the bustling Wisteria Estate for a checkup in casual wear since the Water Estate wasn't that far away anyway (to stop her from this stupid punishment of letting others believe her a man). And it shouldn't be too casual, something bright, as the underlings needed to understand that Pillars could be battle ready at all times. Tanjirou lights up and sniffs out the Furisode she hasn't worn but twice while Shinobu is still in the middle of menacing Giyuu into coming. 

Giyuu doesn't stand a chance.

There's one of the kids who passed the test with Tanjirou haltingly talking to Aoi-chan in front of the estate who takes one look at Giyuu and turns redder than salmon roe. Giyuu averts her eyes. Ah. This one was Sanemi's younger brother, maybe he carried the same animosity. Shinobu let Giyuu quicken their pace.

There are a few Pillars in the Wisteria Estate already. The strongest often had the highest rate of wounds to missions due to... Well. The fact they went on so many missions and survive. So it isn't a surprise to Giyuu when she shuffles in with Shinobu to Rengoku and Sanemi in the middle of sulking over their wounds while waiting (hoping) to be discharged. They both turn when the door opens, faces blazing with intent to convince Shinobu to let them go early, and stop at the sight of Giyuu.

"Is she a new healer?" Rengoku practically chirps at Shinobu, charm sparkling out of his pores. Giyuu blinks at the idea of her being a healer. Her sword is still hanging on her hip. Sanemi is eyeing her strangely as well, sharp eyes interested and quiet in a way she never saw.

"No." Shinobu says with an equally charming grin as she marched forward to inspect them. "And even if she was you would never be able to sweet talk or bully her into releasing you early. Why, it would take an idiot to want to walk around with bruised ribs." You both are idiots was heavily implied. Rengoku laughed anyway and Sanemi sunk almost ashamed into the bedsheets.

"Shinobu...?" Giyuu questioned quietly. Shinobu turned her smile away from the men in beds and nodded briskly.

"Bedrest for another night and then if you haven't aggravated your injuries further both of you will be released tomorrow." Shinobu dismissed them easily while strolling towards the door. "Follow me Giyuu-chan."

"Yes." She said, turning around only to look backward with worry and the wheeze and animalistic shriek that came from behind her.

"GIYUU-CHAN?" Ah, that was definitely Sanemi. "THAT BAS- A WOMAN? GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT ME YOU-"

Not wanting to risk Shinobu's wrath Giyuu all but runs down the hallway before a fight can happen. Shinobu's laugh is much deeper than usual without the knife's edge pitching it too high. The conversation follows them for a ways anyway since Giyuu left the door open in her haste to get away.

"Oh! That was Tomioka-san! I've never seen her dressed up before, I had no idea she was so pretty! Or a woman. Sanemi isn't she pretty- Why are you grabbing your sword?"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, AND THEN HER!"

"Haaha, you can try after Shinobu lets us out of here!"

* * *

proceeds to use the sun breath on a pillar bc they tried to fight Giyuu (Sanemi I'm looking at you)  
Tanjirou: uses Sun Breath techniques revealing the flame mark on his forehead  
PIllars: What is that  
Tanjirou: Cold Soba for Nee-chan!

* * *

sanemi u cant run from ur love forever  
oh my god she just attracts blondes  
OH MY GOD WAIT  
THAT MEANS RENGOKU IS IN THE FIGHT  
THIS IS TRAGIC HE'S THE ONE LEAST LIKELY TO BE DRAGGED AWAY OR EMBARRASSED BY HIS OWN STUPIDITY

point tally (you decide what's a point for or against them)  
Rengoku: Befriended the Kamado's immediately, Has no Shame, Will chant "Tasty, Tasty!" while having an eating contest  
Sanemi: Makes the effort to come over, Spars with her often, Turns Bright Red when she says something nice about him

* * *

(rengoku could bring her old mama ornaments if hes rlly rlly srious)

Ruka had not been one for the fuss of ornaments and hairpieces every day. Mom was practical, Kyojuro thinks fondly, much like Giyuu. Which is why the three she had were stored carefully in the Rengoku family estate. Each of the men in her life help on to one as a solid reminder of her love. There wasn't much else left of her.

The one Kyojuro had held on to all these years was a Kushi comb made of beautiful tortiseshell and carefully inlaid gold and mother of pearl designs that heavily featured a golden bird in flight and waterlilies curling down the sides. He'd actually had to go back home after that nearly disastrous mission on the train which gave him the opportunity to pull it out of it's box and stare at it.

Turning it over in his palms only made he remember how much more stunning it looked in midnight black hair. He remembers it glimmering in the fires of Obon festival each year growing up. His mind drifted to Tomioka's hair up as she'd trailed after Shinobu and replaced the Koi in her hair with the Kushi in his hand. That was better for her, less impressive in some ways, but shining just as bright as-

He flinched when he realized what he was thinking. The one physical reminder of his mother that was just his given away to someone else? Terrifying. Looking down at the comb still in his grasp he couldn't rid himself of the thought. For so long he had brushed off the idea of having time for romance. There was already so much he had to protect, that he had yet to save, that he would never manage to...

But then. What good did it do, to leave this reminder in a box, in a home he almost never had time to visit, that he more often than not forgot to seek out? Surely she would be okay with him wanting to see it used again. By someone he loved.

Yes. One day in the future he would hand this comb over and ask her to wear it if the world was kind to him. 

* * *

(Sanemi... hmm. He grew up helping raise a few girls, maybe he does her hair in styles she never learned/Tanjirou and Nezuko can't manage. I can't imagine he has much to pass on family wise and he's very sad about it  
Genya finds him somewhere stabbing trees and absolutely depressed about that)

"Any way you look at it Rengoku is better isn't he?" Sanemi hisses as he fells another tree. Genya's watching for a safe-ish distance, hands wringing together with nerves. Sanemi had only begun to talk to him again. "His family can give her jewels and has a fuckin' history of demon slayers to their name and isn't a bastard Marechi that screams at everyone."

"But. Nii-san, you're you." Genya insists, gesturing to him because how does he explain that Sanemi is worth everything? "Hasn't she been, you know, saying hi at least?"

"Genya. Every time I see her in a nice kimono I automatically ask her to fight me because I can't handle how beautiful she looks." There's a flabbergasted silence before Sanemi realizes what he's said and turns around bristling like a scared cat. "DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THAT!"

"I WON'T!" Genya shrieks back, hands waving frantically. "She likes sparring though? And, and if that's the case, why don't you try doing something else?"

"Like what?"

"Kadamo said that uh, she doesn't know how to style her hair. That's why she always wear the low ponytail unless Nezuko does it, and _she_ only remembers how to do one hairstyle." Sanemi's eyes turn wild and Genya chokes out, "A-and, you remember how you did Teiko and Sumi's hair for them right? You could offer to do it for her, or teach her, or-"

* * *

(In the end Shinobu steps in to smack the dummies to rights)

"This is just embarrassing you know, it's not one or the other. There are five options for her here. She chooses Rengoku, She chooses Sanemi, she chooses Both of you, she chooses Neither one of you, or she runs off with Iguro."

"HUH? WHY IGURO?" Sanemi's practically breathing fire. Rengoku also looks... Fire-y, at the idea of Iguro swooping in.

"Oh, you didn't notice he was fond of her?" Her grin is fiendish.

"That's just because she punched him though, isn't it?" Genya butts in with twisted logic. "I mean, he wants to marry Kanroji because-"

"GENYA BE QUIET!"

"She can choose both of us?" Rengoku's wide eyes aren't blinking. "Oh! Like Uzui and his wives! Iguro shouldn't be allowed though."

"...I agree with that at least." Sanemi growled, eyes turning to Rengoku. 

"Good! Then you two need to talk to each other and figure out if you're going to be idiots or work together to make Giyuu realize anything is even happening at all. Because if you don't..." Shinobu's smile is sharp as her needle like sword.

* * *

wait the key to all this is finally clear  
Tanjirou says something about Sabito and her face does the Light Up thing and the boys are suddenly like WHO IS SABITO and they try to get it out of Tanjirou. the true test of worthiness

"Oh, he had strawberry blond hair and really kind eyes and he died for her after saving everyone in the big important test on Wisteria Mountain and they loved each other more than life itself. Oh but they were 13 at the time. I think, anyone who really loves her as she is now, should understand she'd never forgive herself if they died for her."

And so they don't die. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> inosuke is the true trans ally by bodyslamming zenitsu - Hayato
> 
> this chapter is obviously a mash of snippets and just brainstorms so you can see the cogs of where this would go IF I WAS UP TO WRITING FOR REAL. Also, as I have stalled posting this for ages, Thank you Kimetsu no Yaiba for giving us 205 chapters of precious people. even if like maybe 10% of them live through the events. The journey was worth it all. And then it ends on maybe-reincarnation-maybe-generation-before-reincarnation stuff. but Gotoge why is not-nezuko dating not-kanao they're literally second cousins- ALSO THE IMPLICATIONS OF KANAO'S HAPPIER REINCARNATION BODY BEING MALE? IS THIS A TRANS CHARACTER? GOTOGE???


End file.
